Specific Poll: Does online audio influence textbook purchase?

[kudra]

see the motivation and leave posts in the sister poll/thread

http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/9377-hypothetical-poll-does-online-audio-influence-textbook-purchase

[kudra]

Thanks for the responses. Note this specific poll is different from the Hypothetical poll.

Maybe I need to stop by the Chicago office of

http://www.acnielsen.com/

for tips on how to collect more data.

[MerryHearted]

I would not use online audio to determine whether to buy the text. What I would use it for is access to the audio when I'm somewhere that I don't have the CD's. (lunchtime practice at work, for example)

I would not buy the textbook if the audio were *only* online -- I still want the CDs, and I don't want to have to select individual audio files to download to my computer and burn onto a CD. Unless they made the whole thing available in 5 or less zip files. I don't want to be tied to my computer to study.

[wrbt]

You've got to be kidding me. The hundreds of hours it takes to become proficient in a language and the 20 minutes it would take to download audio files and burn them on a CD instead of having them shrinkwrapped is a deciding factor in your choice of study materials?

[ipsi()]

All else being equal, of course it will be a deciding factor. Why would you take something that requires extra work for no extra gain?

Personally, I'm nearly inextricably linked to my computer, so being able to download things would be a huge plus

[wrbt]

All else is rarely equal. It's wisest to choose your path of study materials by content, because the time investment involved with study far outweighs the minimal time it takes to burn a CD or transfer some files.

[ipsi()]

That's true, but I was providing a situation where it could be a deciding factor. It's also worth noting that not everyone has access to a computer outside of work or school, and they may not be allowed to download things like audio files, so MerryHearted's position is understandable.

In any event, I do agree with what you're saying.